儿童英语读物 The Seattle Puzzle CHAPTER 2 A Mysterious Riddle

By the time Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny got back from the grocery store the next morning, it was just starting to rain.

“I hope Reena still wants to go sightseeing,” said Benny, while they put the groceries away.

“Remember what she said, Benny?” Violet put the onions and green peppers into the refrigerator. “Rain or shine!”

Henry pulled a jar of tomato sauce out of the grocery bag. “It’s supposed to clear up,” he said. “At least, that’s what they said on the radio.”

“Even if it doesn’t, we’re not going to let a little rain stop us, are we?” asked Jessie.

“No way!” cried Benny. “Nothing stops the Aldens!”

It wasn’t long before they were splashing¹ their way along the wet sidewalks. When they were almost at the diner, a woman came rushing out, hidden beneath a blue umbrella. She was in such a hurry, she almost knocked Violet over.

“Are you okay, Violet?” asked Henry. They watched the woman dash away.

Violet nodded slowly, her eyes still fixed² on the woman under the blue umbrella. “I think so.”

“That lady wasn’t very nice,” said Benny, as they stepped inside the Hungry Heart Diner.

“No, she wasn’t,” Jessie was quick to agree. “She didn’t even stop to apologize.”

The Aldens left their drippy umbrellas in a stand by the door, then made their way to an empty table by the window. No sooner had they sat down than the waitress hurried over, shaking her head.

“This section’s closed, kids,” she said. “If you’ll follow me, there’s a spot over here.”

“No problem,” Jessie said. They headed for an empty booth nearby.

Henry craned his neck as he glanced around. “I don’t see Reena anywhere,” he said. “Do you?”

Jessie shook her head. “No, but I think we’re a bit early. What time do you have, Violet?”

Violet didn’t answer. She seemed to be deep in thought.

“What’s wrong, Violet?” Jessie asked, giving her sister a gentle nudge. She could see that something was troubling her.

“Nothing really,” said Violet. “I was just thinking about that woman outside.”

“The one who bumped³ into you?” asked Henry.

Violet nodded. “For a second, I thought it was Aunt Jane.”

The others looked at her in surprise. “Aunt Jane’s back in Connecticut,” Henry reminded her. “Miles and miles away.” Aunt Jane and Uncle Andy lived in the small town of Elmford. The four Alden children often took the bus from Greenfield to visit them.

“Besides,” added Jessie, “Aunt Jane would never be that rude.”

Benny was quick to agree. “She’d never bump⁴ into somebody and then just hurry away without even saying she was sorry.”

“I know.” Violet laughed a little. “That’s what makes it so weird⁵.”

“We might as well take a look at the selections⁶ while we’re waiting,” Henry suggested. He reached for the menus tucked⁷ behind the shiny napkin dispenser.

“Good idea!” said Benny scooting closer to the table. “I wonder if they have any—oh!”

“What is it, Benny?” Jessie asked.

“There’s a piece of paper stuck to the bottom of the table,” he answered in surprise.

“Maybe it’s a list of the specials,” joked Jessie.

“It’s a note!” said Benny, prying⁸ the folded piece of paper loose. “Can you read it, Jessie?”

Taking the note, Jessie began to read silently. Then her eyes widened and she gasped⁹.

Violet asked, “What does it say?”

“It … it’s some kind of message,” Jessie said in a quiet voice.

The others were instantly curious. “Read it, Jessie,” urged Benny.

“All right.” Jessie nodded. Then she read aloud:

    Through the eye of a needle

    a clue can be found

    where a saucer is resting

    high off the ground.

“That sure isn’t a list of the specials!” noted¹⁰ Benny.

Violet laughed. “We were close, Benny,” she said. “It’s a mystery, and that’s our specialty¹¹.”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Henry, when Jessie passed him the note. “How can you find a clue through the eye of a needle?”

“It must be a teeny-weeny clue,” Benny said. “I wonder who left the message here?”

“And why,” added Jessie.

“Oh, here comes Reena!” Benny put up a hand and waved.

Jessie quickly put the note in her pocket. “Let’s keep this to ourselves for now,” she said in a low voice.

Nobody argued. The Aldens wanted to figure a few things out on their own first.

1 splashing   

v.使（液体）溅起( splash的现在分词 )；（指液体）溅落；击水声

参考例句：

• Water was splashing down from a large hole in the roof. 雨水从房顶上的一个大洞里倾泻下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The children love splashing water over each other. 儿童喜欢互相泼水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 bumped   

凸起的，凸状的

参考例句：

• In the dark I bumped into a chair. 我在黑暗中撞上了一把椅子。
• I bumped against an old friend in town today. 我今天在城里偶然碰见了一个老朋友。

4 bump   

v.（against,into）碰，颠簸；n.碰撞，隆起物

参考例句：

• I heard a bump in the next room.我听到隔壁房间传来“砰”的一声。
• He got a bad bump on his forehead.他碰得前额隆起一个大包。

5 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

6 selections   

n.选择，挑选( selection的名词复数 )；被挑选的人[事物]；选萃，选集；可供选择的东西

参考例句：

• These are selections from ten thousand. 这些是从一万个里挑选出来的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The band played selections. 乐队演奏一些选曲。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 tucked   

塞进( tuck的过去式和过去分词 )； 翻折； 盖住； 卷起

参考例句：

• She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. 她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。

8 prying   

adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开

参考例句：

• I'm sick of you prying into my personal life! 我讨厌你刺探我的私生活！
• She is always prying into other people's affairs. 她总是打听别人的私事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。